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Try this for me and if you feel anything like a twinge or pain, read on. It’s better if you do it outside when it’s cold but it can work when you are inside, however you may look a bit strange so do warn people before you do it! Open your lips but keep your teeth together and suck some air in very fast whilst keeping your teeth together. If you feel the sharp twinge of pain or a weird aching, you’ve probably got receding gums or sensitive teeth. You can get a similar pain when eating ice lollies or if you get chocolate stuck along your gum line. You will need to use a softer toothbrush and toothpaste suitable for sensitive teeth. There are some you can get that are ‘pronamel’ which help the enamel on your teeth to stay strong, and some that help build it back up. Instead of just picking up your usual toothpaste next time you’re at the supermarket have a peek at the others and get one which will help to ease the pain and possibly prevent it going forwards. A big tip would also be to brush more gently because if you cause your gum line to recede it really hurts when anything touches the exposed nerve! There’s toothpaste out there to help this also.

There may come a time when you find yourself stranded, not necessarily in a desert island type situation, but perhaps if you stay at a friend’s house after a heavy night or if you forget your toothbrush if you go away for the weekend. Until you can high tail it to the shop to pick up a spare, there may be things you can keep in the car or in your coat pocket in case of a dental emergency! You can pick up mini toothbrush packs which include a fold up toothbrush and a tiny tube of toothpaste which fit nicely in the palm of your hand. These can be picked up from pharmacies. If you are not that prepared, why not try rubbing toothpaste over your teeth with your finger then gargling with mouthwash? Or take the advice from our friends of the natural world and rub a few sage leaves over your teeth and use a toothpick to get around the gum line. Although to be fair I’d still want to rinse with mouthwash after this method! Alternatively swill your mouth out with water and have a cup of coffee. Or just buy a new toothbrush!

I have always been very keen on looking after my teeth, even from the moment I was handed my first toothbrush i’ve been aware of the importance of a clean mouth. I can confidently say that there has never been a day since that day my mother let me loose with my own toothbrush that I have not brushed my teeth at least twice a day. There’s nothing better than the feeling of a fresh mouth and running your tongue over your teeth and nothing worse than not being able to brush your teeth when you need to. Or, shock horror, kissing someone who does not understand the importance of brushing twice a day! You can probably guess i’m a bit of a clean freak and this is the reason my dentist never suggested a clean, scale and polish before! Every time I went to the dentist I always got a ‘very well done, you’re my star patient!’, whereas my mother always had a clean, scale and polish every time she went. I looked into this and think I may try it out even though I don’t need it; apparently it is like having a super clean mouth, like brushing, flossing, using mouthwash and then chewing the strongest airwaves chewing gum!

Now we’ve all seen these toothbrushes with the tongue cleaner on the back of them but how many people actually clean their tongues? When you are young you are taught to brush your teeth but not necessarily to attend to the rest of your mouth. And as you grow up, when is the age you discover mouthwash, floss, and different brushing techniques? It all depends on your surroundings and the ways the people around you attend to their own oral hygiene I guess. For true minty fresh breath I would recommend using floss, using an anti bacterial mouthwash and brushing for at least two minutes. Whilst you brush, you should attend to all areas of the tooth and not just the tops and front. Make sure you get around the back and underneath your bite also. A top tip for combating bad breath is to use your toothbrush to brush your tongue. This should help to remove any plaque left in your mouth and give you minty fresh breath!

Most people do not understand the benefits of flossing. Until very recently I had been flossing wrong. Yes, I know! I had been flossing once a week and I had been moving the floss back and forth between the teeth under the gum line, and to be honest it did make my mouth feel cleaner. I have since consulted a few friends and they have said they do the same thing. Until I spoke to a friend who had just come from the dentist and had a master class in the art of flossing from her new dentist. Apparently you are supposed to put the floss between your teeth but scoop under the gum line in line with the side of the tooth. This is supposed to be effective at scooping out any plaque that your toothbrush is unable to reach. And you are supposed to floss every day. Try it tonight after you brush your teeth. I did, and the results were amazing. I’ll always floss at night from now on to remove any plaque that is hiding. The longer plaque is left in the mouth, the more it grows which can lead to it attacking your pearly whites and ruining your smile.

There could be a new way to help teach your children about good dental hygiene.
Mum, Rachel Stephens, invented the ‘Wash & Brush Timer’ after directly experiencing the constant struggle to get her own children, 4 and 7, to brush their teeth for longer.
A marketing and PR specialist, Rachel could see there was a gap in the market and so produced the idea to help children slow down brushing their teeth and to learn how to clean properly.
The product is easy to use with clear buttons, you press one for brushing your teeth and a green LED light comes on (for 2 minutes – the recommended time) and when the light goes red the children know its time to rinse.
The ‘Wash and Brush Timer’ also has the same system for teaching children to wash their hands properly (the timer lasting 30 seconds for hand washing).
Launched in July of this year it is already available in some stores and Rachel is hoping to sell it in dental practices throughout the UK too.
It has a suction pad so it stays put in the bathroom, but can also be portable too. It is a very reasonably priced – check out www.trendykid.co.uk for more details.

There are quite a lot of home recipes for toothpaste that you could use to try and illuminate bad breath. Here’s one of the more interesting recipes I found in my search

Vanilla & Rose Geranium Toothpaste

Ingredients
½ oz of powered chalk
3 oz of powered orris root
15 drops of rose geranium oil
Runny honey

Recipe
Take all the ingredients and using a pestle and mortar grind all the chalk into a very fine powder. Add the other ingredients and make into a soft paste. Add enough honey to make into a toothpaste consistency.

! Make sure you store you homemade toothpaste some where cool and in an airtight container. When it comes to using the toothpaste take a small stick (something like a tongue depressor) and scoop enough toothpaste out and spread onto a damp toothbrush.

•    The fear of getting bad breath is called Halitophobia
•    It has been reported that some people have commited suicide because of bad breath
•    Most common medical condition
•    In a survey 58% of women and 57% of men stated bad breath as the cause of a romance ending making it the most common reason for the break up of a relationship – apparently women only ranked excessive drinking higher!
•    Chocolate makes your breath worse!
•    50% of adults will suffer from the condition as some point in their lives
•    Apparently Hugh Grant has bad breath.
•    The production of saliva when kissing will help with bad breath, gum disease and tooth decay due to it’s antibacterial properties

Holistic Dentistry along with other holistic treatments is becoming more popular.

One of the main ingredients for treatment of diseases such as gum disease and gingivitis is Aloe Vera. Often used in beauty products as it has anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. It has detoxifying elements and promotes cell growth. Research has proved that the use of Aloe Vera can speed up the healing process and therefore has great benefits in the dentistry world.

There are a couple areas that the use of Aloe Vera directly can be useful.

•    It is applied the site of surgery in the prevention of Periodontal Disease.

•    If applied to the site of a tooth extraction the wound often responds better with the application of Aloe Vera (it can soothe and comfort dry sockets)

•    Soothes gum abscesses

•    People with dentures and implants can often have aggravated gums due to poorly fitting dentures/implants. This can lead to contamination and inflammation. The use of Aloe Vera can reduce this.

•    Reduces bleeding in gums due to gum disease.

•    Helps with cracked lips and cold sores.

Is whitening your teeth a good or bad idea?
There are conflicting theories on the internet but reading a news article in the Daily Mail Online I seem to sway towards their findings (probably because they aren’t trying to sell me their product!).
The recommended doses of hydrogen peroxide for any home teeth whitening kit, according to this article, shouldn’t be above 0.1%. But on websites selling home kits the doses seem to vary, one claiming it contained just under 6% -

“The proper use of tooth whitening products containing > .1 to 6.0% hydrogen peroxide (or equivalent for hydrogen peroxide releasing substances) is considered safe after consultation with and approval of the consumer’s dentist”  2006 The Scientific Committee on Consumer Products

So what can too much hydrogen peroxide do to your mouth?
•    Cause chemical burns in the mouth
•    Cause sensitive teeth
•    intensify  gum disease
The news article found that the majority of kits contained more than 0.1% except the Boots Expert Teeth Whitening and Brilliant Tooth Whitening Products (which you can buy at pharmacy outlets).
I recommend using your Dentist, or a specialist, at least you know what you’re getting then!